MSY:::Year One:Centuar's Forest
by Naouma Koi
Summary: Fic one of my MARAUDERS series.  Enjoy.  3


_**I will have you know, this was THE MOST DIFFICULT chapter of ANYTHING that I have EVER written. After this, I will go back to writing ONLY FIRST PERSON unless there's something special that needs to be done, unless the reviews of this aren't as horrid as I think they'll be.**_

_**GOD I hate my third person writing style. It's the single-most horrible thing I have ever had to go back and edit and hasn't really improved at all in the last several years.**_

_**Anyway, let the love/hate flow!**_

_**-Speira**_

**.Chapter One****.  
><strong>**.End of a Pretend Muggle Life.**

At the start of the day, Severus Snape did exactly what he'd always done. He sat up in his bed, looked at the clock, and wanted nothing more than to fall back into the warmth of the blankets. Knowing that he would be in much trouble if he didn't get out of bed, the small boy stood up and went right to getting dressed just like he would on any other day.

Now, what the small boy didn't know about the day was that it would change the way he thought of his life. Growing up with his mother, a witch, had taught him that there was sometimes more to life than the basic mundane desires of muggles. Having grown up with that belief alongside his muggle father had made him fear that he wouldn't get the attributes it would take to remove him from said mundane society.

He had never shown any magical potential, and his father was delighted by that, his mother fighting relentlessly against it. His parents fought more often than not, and Severus had long since decided that he would do whatever it took to get out of that house.

Suddenly there was a knock on his bedroom door, pulling him out of his dreams of becoming a wizard. "Don't forget to feed the dog!" his mother shouted through the door, not waiting for a reply before leaving. The young boy sighed heavily. He hated the dog, a vicious little thing. It always bit him when he fed it, so he often tried to avoid that chore.

Opening his door revealed that he wouldn't have a choice in the matter that day, as his mother had entered the kitchen, where he could already hear things crashing against the walls as the fighting continued exactly where it had left off the night before.

Severus wasted no more time, grabbing the dog food from the closet by the door and practically running out the door. He fed the dog quickly and then turned toward the back yard, looking to see if his friend Lily was up yet. What he saw instead was a large barn owl coming toward him across the sky. It had a very obvious letter bound to its leg which made Severus sigh with envy. The kid who got that letter, he thought, was a very lucky kid indeed.

Staring at the owl didn't gain him any insight, so he continued across the yard, not noticing when the owl followed. Once he reached the house of his best friend, he knocked on the door, wondering still if there was anyone awake there yet. When Mrs. Evans opened the door, her face filled with a smile reserved only for the boy before transforming into something that resembled shock. "Oh my…" she said, stepping aside for Severus to enter but still staring out the door.

"Is there something wrong?" the boy asked, staring up at the woman, confusion spreading across his face.

"It looks like someone's getting a letter…" she replied, stepping back for the owl that soared through the door seconds later. Severus wasted no time untying the cords around the owl's leg. Once he'd unbound the letters, plural for there were two, the barn owl ruffled its feathers importantly before flying off back the way it came.

_Two letters…_ Severus thought, wondering why two letters from the school would arrive in the Evans household. He'd already started to walk away when the woman gave a shriek of delight. "Oh, my!" Severus rushed back to her right away, wondering what it was about, though he already guessed that one of the letters was for Lily. "Severus, it looks like you got one too." she said, handing the stunned boy a letter addressed in emerald green ink.

It was addressed to a Severus Snape and he knew at once what it contained. He could hardly control himself as he opened it, finding a letter, a supply list, and a train ticket all tucked neatly inside. He opened the letter first.

_Dear Mr. Snape,_

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_ Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_ Minerva McGonagall,  
>Deputy Headmistress<em>

Reading the letter over and over again for the next several minutes left him speechless and he found he could do nothing but stare at it. Lily entered the hall moments later and looked at her friend before being given her own letter to read and letting out a squeal of delight.

"Severus, we get to attend school together!" she said excitedly and the boy finally accepted that his worrying for the last eleven years had been over nothing.

"Yeah…" was all he could manage to say before he got swept into a big hug with Lily. Her mother was clearly very happy for her daughter and didn't let go of them for a few seconds. Once she let go, Severus backed away slightly. He was leaving. _He was really going to leave this place._

Sirius grinned. Finally he was going to get to leave this ridiculous place he was forced to call home. His mother was overjoyed, having somehow convinced herself that her oldest son would be a squib, and his little brother was devastated because he would be leaving on September first, but he himself couldn't wait for the day he would get to leave. In fact, he already had most of his things packed, except for what he needed to buy from Diagon Alley. His mother had said something about taking him there a week before the first, but he hadn't really been paying attention.

He _never_ really paid attention to what his mother had to say.

In fact, he recalled his mother saying something about staying inside the house that day… _Oh well…_ he thought, looking both ways across the street before heading off toward the local park. When he arrived, he wasn't surprised at all to see his best friend waiting for him, a big smile on his face.

"Oi! I got my letter!" James said loudly, waving the letter over his head.

Sirius broke into a wide grin and ran over to him. "So did I." he replied, showing off his own letter. James grinned back and stuffed the already-worn letter into his pocket.

"What do you think it'll be like?" he asked. They'd both heard stories of what the school was like from their parents but neither had really liked what they'd heard and liked to speculate about how different it really would be from their everyday lives.

"I'll bet it's a load better than what mum keeps telling me. 'Bunch of half-breeds there, better just make friends with other purebloods!'" The boy mimicked his mother and sent a chill down his friend's spine.

"She's really horrible." James said, watching Sirius shake the disgusted look back off his face.

"Yeah. Anyway, I don't care if there _are_ a bunch of half-breeds there. I'll make friends with them all just to spite her if I have to!"

James giggled at the statement. "You would do something like that, Sirius. I'll bet there are a lot of nice people there. People that won't get mad when you crack a funny joke."

"Right. Because your jokes are _so _funny."

"Hey!"

"What? They're not really all that good sometimes, and you know it!" Sirius grinned.

"Whatever…" James smiled and shook his head. "I can't wait to go."

"Me neither…"

Remus stared at the letter in his hands as though it had done something to terribly offend him. An acceptance letter from Hogwarts was not something he'd thought he would ever get. Because of the accident when he was four, he couldn't even bring himself to read the school supply list. Remus was sure he would never be able to attend anyway, so what was the point in knowing what other, more fortunate kids, would need for their schooling?

It was a cruel joke. It _had _to be a cruel joke pulled by one of those kids that always rode past just to make fun of him. When he showed his father the letter, his thoughts were nearly mirrored. His mother, on the other hand, thought it would be lovely if he could go and sent a letter to the school right away, explaining about her son's lycanthropy.

"It'll be okay, you'll see." She said, smiling at her son and hoping beyond all hope that she was right and that he would indeed get to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was something that he'd always dreamed of, after all, though without much hope in previous years. Headmaster Armando Dippet certainly wouldn't have allowed it.

Of course, Dippet was no longer the headmaster. A few years before a talented wizard, Albus Dumbledore, had replaced him as headmaster of Hogwarts. From what she'd heard, Dumbledore was very sympathetic to the minorities and might actually be willing to take the necessary precautions to allow her son to attend school.

Remus, meanwhile, sulked in his room. He was nearly positive that he would be unable to attend the school he'd heard so much about. That was part of why it bothered him so much. His entire life he'd been told again and again how wonderful a place the school was, and had also been told that he probably wouldn't get to go. All because his father had offended a werewolf when he, Remus, was four years old.

Fenrir Greyback had attacked Remus as a result of his father's offensive words. It wasn't fair, and it shouldn't have happened that way, but it had, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

_I don't suppose I should hope too much…_the young boy thought as he stared around his room, wondering what he would even take to the school. _I would probably be able to take everything if I wanted to._

After a while, he got bored in the house and decided to go for a short walk. He was joined shortly after by his mother. "You know I sent a letter to the school, right Remus?" she asked. Remus simply continued to stare at the ground, pure disappointment on his face. This caused a look of turmoil to cross his mother's face before she pulled her son into a hug. "I'll get you into that school Remus. Even if I have to pay to remove you once a month, you _will _attend Hogwarts." she promised quietly.

Remus looked up at her finally, a smile on his face though his words were grim. "It's okay mum. I know I can't go. You don't have to work so hard. I'm okay with it."

Hardly believing that, the woman smiled at her son, seeming to be happier then but really thinking that she would find a way to keep her promise no matter what it took.

A few days passed with no word from the school officials and her resolve began to waiver. On the fourth day, however, that big barn owl returned, a reply closed in its beak.

_Dearest Agatha Lupin,_

_ Upon reading your letter, I am severely torn. A part of me agrees completely that it would be a wonderful idea for your son, Remus, to be allowed to attend this magnificent school. Another part of me does what any normal person would do and cowers in fear of what could possibly happen in such a situation as his lycanthropy could cause.  
>My rational thought has won out in this contest, however, and I am pleased to inform you that I have come up with a reasonable solution that allows young Remus to attend our school while also keeping the general public safe and also unaware of his condition. I shall have a house built in the outskirts of a nearby wizarding town, Hogsmead, and then shut off from the general public. I will then have a passageway built underground to run from inside the Hogwarts grounds to the basement of said house in the village.<br>To hide the passage, certain measures will be taken.  
>As such, I would be delighted if you would allow your son to attend school here.<em>

_Sincerely yours,  
>Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore<em>

A smile broke across her face as she finished reading and re-reading the letter. Remus would get to go to Hogwarts, just like he had always wanted, and there was no danger posed by his condition with the measures the headmaster was taking. Quickly she scrawled a response before heading to London on her own to buy all of her son's supplies except his wand, which they would get the day of his departure, she decided.

Peter stared at the letter in awe. He'd never even thought he'd get accepted to Hogwarts. It had just never seemed like he had enough magical talent to get in, but here it was. The acceptance letter. The one thing that every student of Hogwarts had in common.

He stood up quickly to go tell his mother. She'd be thrilled that he got in. "Mum!"

The kind-faced woman peered out of the kitchen to where her son was calling for her. "Yes dearest?" she asked, wondering what he could possibly be so excited about.

"I got the letter!"

With those words, Peter's mother nearly ran from the kitchen and hugged her son tightly. "Oh thank heavens Peter!" she said, ecstatic that he'd been accepted. He would attend the best school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. It was what she'd been hoping for for eleven long years.

The boy simply smiled, pleased that he'd finally made his mother proud. After eleven years of failed attempts, this accidental achievement meant everything to him.

The rest of the summer passed by in a blur for everyone. Getting ready to leave for their first year of school seemed to take up every spare second they would normally have as they didn't want to forget anything. Pretty soon it was September first and they were all getting ready to board the train.

Remus stared at the scarlet train as though it were the most amazing thing he'd ever seen. He stared at it for a full minute before turning to his mother and smiling. She hugged him tight before sending him off to the doors with his ticket and luggage. "Don't forget to write us!" she called after him. He looked back one last time and nodded his head.

Sirius and James, a little farther up the train, didn't stare at the train itself, but more at the people boarding the train. They seemed like perfectly ordinary people except for the fact that nearly everyone had a cat, toad, or owl with them. They weren't even at the school yet but, as they boarded the train, they decided it was already the best place they'd ever been.

Severus led Lily in almost late and hurried with her along to a nearly empty car. There was only one trunk in it already so he hauled the trunks into the compartment and sat down. Lily followed a little weary at first but settled down next to her friend easily enough.

Peter, meanwhile, was really late, arriving just as the train was getting ready to depart. He practically threw his belongings on-board and barely got to hug his mother goodbye before jumping on right after.

Remus entered a compartment that had two other boys and apologised for his rudeness, not meaning to intrude on whatever it was that they had been discussing. "Do you mind if I sit here though?" he added at the end of his apology, really hoping they wouldn't turn him away.

"Sure! The more, the merrier!" Sirius replied, smiling broadly. "I'm Sirius Black and this here's my best mate, James Potter." James simply smiled as his friend started talking to the newcomer as casually as he would someone he'd known his whole life.

"Oh… I'm Remus Lupin…" The rather scrawny boy smiled slightly at the other's friendliness. He was glad that he hadn't simply been seen and ignored. Or worse. Made fun of.

"Nice to meet you." James finally interjected, smiling brightly before turning back to Sirius and going back to what he'd been saying before Remus had entered the compartment. "So, how do we make this year the most notable year Hogwarts has ever seen?" he asked seriously.

Sirius smiled back and shook his head. "I really don't know, mate. We'll have to think of something seriously awesome."

"Or just present me to the school."

Sirius roared with laughter and Remus stared, looking as though he'd like to join in with him. "It's okay, you know? You can laugh… It was supposed to be funny, after all…" James said, smiling, as he noticed Remus' look of discomfort. This only made Sirius laugh harder and Remus couldn't help himself after that, laughing with his new friends for the first time.

As the joking came to a close, the compartment door slid open and a small, slightly plump boy entered. "C-can I sit here?" he asked uncertainly.

Sirius could hardly contain himself and only remained silent with a prompting stab from James' finger. "Sure." James said, smiling as Sirius massaged his side.

The new boy smiled slightly and sat down on the same side of the compartment as Remus, who smiled at him reassuringly. "So, what's your name, newcomer?" Sirius finally spoke, still sounding like he was about to laugh.

"Peter Pettigrew…" was the quiet reply from the smaller boy. James smiled again and shoved Sirius into the window.

"It's okay, you don't have to listen to anything he says. He's just an obnoxious git who doesn't deserve an introduction. I'm James, by the way." Sirius pretended to look hurt as he sat back up.

"That's not a very nice thing to say about your best friend, mate." He said, speaking to James before turning toward the other two and smiling again. "I'm Sirius." He said, going through the introduction a second time.

"Oh… Hi." Peter smiles slightly, rather embarrassed.

"And I'm Remus. It's very nice to meet you, Peter."

Severus settled into the train ride quite easily. Lily, not so much. She was so excited that she could hardly sit still, and when Severus did finally get her to sit down, she started asking him all sorts of questions. "So Sev, what's the school supposed to be like? I mean, you've grown up knowing about it, right?" she asked first, staring at Severus intently.

Smiling, Severus launched into an explanation. "Hogwarts is one of the oldest wizarding schools out there, founded nearly a thousand years ago by the four founders, Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw…"

Eventually, Lily exhausted herself of questions and smiled brightly as the witch pushing the snack trolley knocked on their compartment door. Severus didn't get anything, but Lily got everything she could, which included some Bertie Botts beans, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties and anything else that looked good. She, of course, shared everything with her friend and was quite shocked when she found a wizard card in one of the frogs and the person just hopped back into their frame.

Severus laughed at her shock and they both enjoyed trading the cards back and forth for the rest of the ride.

Once the train finally stopped at Hogsmead station, everyone was ready to get off. They all exited the train, following the older students examples and leaving their luggage on the train. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" called a huge man with a tangled mess of hair and a rather shaggy beard. You could see his eyes under the mess of hair, and they were very welcoming, so most of the first years seemed okay going over to him.

Once all the first years were assembled, the giant man led them off toward a little fleet of boats at the edge of a huge lake. "No more'n four to a boat!" the huge man called and everyone piled into the tiny boats. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus all climbed into a boat, and Lily and Severus wound up in the same boat with a blonde girl and a rather scruffy boy.

"Everyone in? Right then—FORWARD!" As soon as the words left the huge man's mouth the little boats set off on their own across the lake, carrying all the little first years with them. It was rather foggy that night so everyone was quite thankful the little sailboats knew where they were going. Eventually, everyone could see the castle through the fog and there were murmurs all over the place.

"Oh my!" Lily said from beside Severus. She could hardly believe her eyes. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen and she actually felt rather bad for Petunia, having to stay home and go to an ordinary school.

Remus smiled broadly when he saw it, having still been half-convinced that this was all a dream. The castle right in front of him seemed like proof enough that he was really awake. This look of enthusiasm didn't go unnoticed by either Sirius or James, who began wondering what it was about and speculating about it without words.

After what seemed like forever the little boats took them into a small chamber right below the castle, and everyone got out. "Up the stairs, come on!" the huge man called and everyone rushed to the small staircase at one side. The set of stairs took them up into a chamber off the side of an enormous entrance hall, which they crossed rather quickly.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you Hagrid. I'll take them from here." A rather severe looking woman spoke, adjusting her square spectacles on her nose. "Come on then," she said, turning right around and leading them all into a small chamber off the opposite side of the hall. Once everyone was crammed inside, they stared at Professor McGonagall, waiting for her to say something.

Finally, after gazing around at each of them in turn, she spoke. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start0of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She looked around at everyone once more before finishing. "I shall return when we are ready for you." Smiling slightly, she left the chamber.

"So… What do you think the test will be?" Peter asked the others nervously. He hoped it wouldn't require any magic, as he'd only learned a little and wasn't even very good at what he knew.

"You really don't know?" Sirius muttered, laughing slightly.

"It's not even really a test." James continued for him.

"Yeah, it's just—" Sirius was cut off when Professor McGonagall returned. "Follow me." She said, turning back around and leading them all into the Great Hall at last.

All the other students were there already, and some of the first years were slightly nervous by this. When they got to the front of the room, however, they gathered around a small stool with a rather tattered-looking hat on top of it.

Everyone stared at the hat for just a moment before, suddenly, a rip at the brim opened up wide and the hat began to sing.

_Back in the beginning_

_When there were founders four_

_They picked through every one of you_

_And it was quite the chore_

_Gryffindor chose the brave at heart_

_To learn all he could teach_

_Hufflepuff took all she could_

_And never tried to preach_

_Ravenclaw took only those_

_Who were intelligent, with wit_

_And Slytherin took only those_

_Who's ambition he saw fit_

_Back then they worked together_

_And everything was right_

_But they forgot what happens when_

_One tries for naught but might_

_A struggle for such power_

_Led Slytherin to leave_

_And this was how a blanket_

_Of turmoil came to weave_

_So here we are, a brand new age_

_But things remain the same_

_I warn you now, so heed it well_

_Lest things should end the same_

_You cannot stay divided_

_Or the worst shall come to pass_

_Instead become united_

_Become a group with class_

_That said, enjoy your day_

_And pig out on the feast_

_Enjoy the Sorting Ceremony_

_At the very least_

The room was quiet for a few moments before people started applauding. Not a lot of people in the room had ever heard the Sorting Hat give a warning. It was nearly unheard of, but no one wondered why.

Just then, Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool." she said. "Abbott, Arthur!"

"Well that's not so bad then…" Lily said, smiling at Severus. All they had to do was try on the hat… And here she'd been thinking that she'd have to try some magic.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" called the hat, and McGonagall continued down the list.

"Black, Sirius!" The young boy came out of the crowd and sat down with confidence.

It took a few seconds but, after deliberating between Gryffindor and Slytherin, the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" and Sirius dismounted the stool, a smile on his face.

After a while, Professor McGonagall came to the E's. "Ebb, George!" became a Ravenclaw before…

"Evans, Lily!"

Lily smiled slightly at Severus before leaving her place in the shrinking half-circle and sitting on the stool by Professor McGonagall. The hat was lowered onto her head and, nearly instantly called out its answer. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Lily, a wide smile on her face, climbed off of the stool and went to join the Gryffindor table, which was still applauding their new member.

It continued a while longer before "Lupin, Remus!"

The boy smiled as well as he could, walking up and sitting on the stool. The hat was placed on his head and, to his great relief, shouted out its decision. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus stood up and went over to the proper table, getting greeted cheerfully by Lily.

"Nott, Issac." Became a Slytherin and "Overton, Zeina" became a Hufflepuff before McGonagall reached "Pettigrew, Peter!" who sat down, was announced a Gryffindor, and promptly fell off the stool, sending the hat flying, where "Potter, James!" who was next, had to retrieve it while laughing his head off.

Quickly the hat sorted James into Gryffindor and the list continued, placing more and more students. At last the severe woman called "Snape, Severus!" The nervous boy stepped forward and sat on the stool.

The hat deliberated for a few moments, listening to his fervent request to be placed in Gryffindor with Lily and, at the same time, reading his heritage and seeing the great potential for Slytherin. At last, it was announced, though Severus was none too happy with the decision.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat called, and Severus jumped down off of the stool, waved at Lily, and walked dejectedly to the Slytherin table.


End file.
